Utah Travel Headlines

Friday, September 07, 2012

See Salmon & Wildlife At Flaming Gorge

Sept. 15 is Kokanee Salmon Day in Utah. Kokanee are landlocked salmon that thrive in Flaming Gorge and other cold, deep lakes and reservoirs. During the fall mature fish turn bright red and spawn from the reservoir into Sheep Creek, where they can be seen easily by visitors to the reservoir.

Utah's Division of Wildlife Reservoir sponsors Kokanee Day as a public wildlife watching event. Besides salmon, many other kinds of wildlife can be seen in the area. Visitors often see raptors, waterfowl, deer, elk and a variety of smaller mammals.

UDWR provided this news release about Kokanee Salmon Day.

Kokanee Salmon Day is Sept. 15

Manila – You don’t need binoculars or a spotting scope to see kokanee salmon in Sheep Creek—the bright red fish are easy to see once they enter the stream.

But if you attend Kokanee Salmon Day on Sept. 15, bring your binoculars or a spotting scope with you anyway. In addition to the salmon in the stream, you might see some bighorn sheep in the distance.

Sheep Creek is in northeastern Utah, about six miles south of Manila. The viewing site is at the Scenic Byway turnout where Sheep Creek crosses under state Route 44.

UDWR biologists will be at the site between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Display materials will be available that will help you understand the life history and the behavior of the salmon you see in the stream. Spotting scopes will also be available in case bighorn sheep visit the area, which they usually do during Kokanee Salmon Day.

Fish are close to entering the stream

Kokanee are a land-locked relative of the salmon found in the Pacific Ocean. Rather than migrating upstream from the ocean, though, the Sheep Creek population migrates upstream from Flaming Gorge Reservoir to spawn in the stream.

On Sept. 4, biologists said salmon were staging offshore but hadn't entered the stream yet. "They’re a bit late,” says Ron Stewart, a conservation outreach manager with the UDWR, “but that's common for a drought year.”

In 2011, Stewart says the salmon started entering the stream on Aug. 26. Records kept by the UDWR show the salmon have come into the stream as late as Sept. 9.

“Anglers are seeing good numbers of salmon turning red in the reservoir,” Stewart says, “so we hope when they do decide to run, the spawning run will be good one.”

See a wide variety of wildlife

Seeing bright red kokanee salmon makes a trip to Sheep Creek more than worth it. But the salmon are often just one of many wildlife species that have been seen on Kokanee Salmon Day.

Stewart says you should bring your camera and binoculars to the event. "At Sheep Creek,” he says, “Kokanee Day often becomes ‘Wildlife Day.’ You can often see bighorn sheep, turkeys and other wildlife from the viewing site and the surrounding area.”

If bighorns or turkeys appear, Stewart says you’ll be able to see them through spotting scopes UDWR biologists will focus on the animals. Or the biologists can help you spot them so you can see them through your own spotting scope or binoculars.

In addition to bighorn sheep, Stewart says other big mammals, and a large variety of smaller mammals and birds, often pay a visit. “Birds of prey, including golden eagles, kestrels, osprey and vultures, are frequent visitors," Stewart says. "And participants often hear sandhill cranes flying overhead.”

Stewart says driving along one of Utah's first National Scenic Byways—with its spectacular scenery and 18 interpretive sites—fall weather that’s usually pleasant, leaves that are changing color, lots of wildlife and a chance to see bright red kokanee salmon make Kokanee Salmon Day an event you won’t want to miss.

For more information, call the UDWR’s Northeastern Region office at (435) 781-9453.